Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish certainly set himself up for criticism by talking the talk before walking the walk prior to the NHL Entry Draft and free agency, but unless my ears have failed me completely, I heard MacT talk about making bold moves, not stupid moves.

So, while, like others, I do have some questions about his overall performance at the draft on the weekend– specifically, I'm wondering about how it came to be, exactly, that the Oilers used the seventh pick on Darnell Nurse rather than Valeri Nichushkin – I'm not unhappy with what I saw.

I've got no beef with picking Nurse as far as how he projects and what he brings to the table. He's tough, is diligent in his physical training and, from all accounts, is a character kid who interviewed very well. Teams can never have too much of that. My issue, I guess, is it's going to take three or even four years before the Oilers know what they have with him.

There's more risk in Nichushkin, a better chance he'll be a swing-and-a-miss rather than a homerun, but drafting that combination of size and skill would provide exactly what MacTavish's forwards lack. He could provide a bigger bang, and sooner, than Nurse. That, framed by the fact the Oilers haven't made the playoffs since 2006, made Nichushkin the more tempting pick for me.

I'm wondering if he was also the more tempting pick for Stu MacGregor and his scouting staff and if MacT, at some point, overruled his birddogs. When I hear Nichushkin was the guy as often as I did from people in the know, not the guessers, and Nurse gets selected, I wonder.

No conspiracy theory here because MacTavish wouldn’t be the first GM to make the call on a pick regardless of the team's scouting list, especially if two kids are rated neck-and-neck, but I'm wondering if MacT went with his gut and took the safer pick over the big swing – that does fly in the face of his talk about being bold.

SUCKER ALERT

What I want from a GM, MacTavish in particular, after he's talked the talked about being bold, is that he puts himself in the middle of the mix on the draft floor instead of waiting around for his phone to ring like a wallflower. That he identifies the players he wants or needs, decides what he's willing to give up to get them and then starts pitching.

MacTavish, it was plain to see to anybody paying attention, certainly did that in his pursuit of Braydon Coburn in multiple conversations with Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren. Homer, if reports are to be believed, put an unreasonable price tag on Coburn, so MacTavish, wisely, I say, said "no thanks."

Like MacTavish said, no deal is better than a stupid deal. If you've actually got a problem with that line of thinking – "But MacT promised he'd make a big deal at the draft" (no, he didn't) – I suggest you think again.

Trades, at least those that don’t involve one of the parties involved grabbing their ankles, are difficult to make, as MacTavish alluded to on the weekend after failing to make the splash many anticipated. Sucker deals? There's always one on the table and, more often than not, they are offered up to rookie GMs like MacTavish.

As 630 CHED analyst Bob Stauffer has already suggested, don't be a bit surprised if MacTavish and Holmgren continue talking about Coburn. I'd be stunned if they don't.

THIS AND THAT . . .

. . . Funny business, the NHL game. Everybody with a functioning brain stem knows the Oilers need more nastiness and grit on their back end, yet today the Oilers walked away from a bunch of it by not qualifying Colten Teubert, Theo Peckham and Alex Plante (as well as Philip Cornet).

The problem with the three D-men who didn't get QO'd, of course, is that while they bring qualities the Oilers lack, none of them has proven they can play regular minutes at the NHL level and, as always, there are always a raft of younger prospects on the way.

We know what went wrong with Peckham. When his window of opportunity swing open, he showed up fat and couldn’t fit through it. Plante has tons of jam but foot speed and concussions are an issue. Teubert? I'd really like to find out what went wrong there. Seems a bit early to turn the page on him.

. . . People here know I really like pending UFA David Clarkson and think he's be a perfect fit here because he brings leadership, toughness and pretty good skill to the dance, but heaven help the Oilers if they even think of offering the kind of money, more than $6 million a season, we heard about today. Clarkson might get that kind of cake from somebody, but it shouldn’t be the Oilers.

Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TEAM 1260.

A sports writer since 1983, including stints at The Edmonton Journal and The Sun 1989-2007, I happily co-host the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260 twice a week and write when so inclined. Have the best damn lawn on the internet. Most important, I am Sam's dad. Follow me on Twitter at Robin_Brownlee. Or don't.

If Clarkson wants 6 million he is nuts, if someone gives it to him then the whole reason for sitting out a half season was bollocks...The insanity continues . So basically we lost half a season so the cap could go down 10 million for one year. Pure crap!

This might be off topic and 'feeding the troll' as it were, but the way Gillis handled the whole 2 headed monster was some of the worst management I have seen in a long while, in fact I would say it was an embarrassment to the whole Canucks org as a whole (and that is saying something)...

while I agree that Nich would have been my choice, I dont think Nurse is a bad choice. After all, who had a bigger part in our 2006 run, Gator or Samsonov??? We need to build character on this club, and sometimes character is not defined by stats and highlights...

Apparently mueller and pouliot weren't qualified. Both bring size and secondary scoring. I'd look at them. Mueller would help in the shoot out.

Mueller does make hemsky look indestructible. Pouliot teases you with skill and pisses you off with effort.

Something to consider.

Mueller is better than Yakupov according to a notorious troll on this website.

This season when the Oiler centers were injured and the fans were discussing solutions, Mueller's name was brought up. DSF vehemently argued that Dale Tallon would never get rid of Mueller because he was so amazing. I believe his exact quote was "You don't giveaway 6'2", 205 lb 24 year old centers for Oiler spare parts".

For those who care (and don't), NewAgeSys has left the building and won't be back in the forseeable future.

Disagree with any writer here, including me, if you have a different take on what is written, but argue the points made and leave out personal attacks.

That, no matter what else you have to offer, gets you gone.

C'mon Robin, he's just a hockey fan like the rest of us here. Like most, to be taken with a grain of salt, or perhaps even an acquired taste. Can we be sure it wasn't just some subtle pseudo trash talking happening?

If he appeals, anyway he could have it reduced to a week? He's been making amazing progress in regards to his post length (post #26 as an example)

You do have an appeals process, correct, if he gets a new windshield installed?

I dont anticipate the KHL making a serious pitch for Nurse, ever. That is enough to break a tie for me.

Everything being absolutely equal (which it never really is), I tend to give the edge to the North American player as well. The KHL and the "Russian factor" does come into play. I don't see the KHL as the boogeyman some do, but it is sometimes a tie-breaker for me.

I have no information that suggests Nurse is anything but a very solid pick, but I'd have gone with the Russian this time.

One other thing: Obviously, you can comment and make a reasonable point in fewer than 300-1,000 words. Please do so more often.

Listened to an interview with Dale Hunter, Horvat's coach in London today.

He's convinced Horvat will be the next Patrice Bergeron.

Hunter knows WAY MORE about hockey than you do.

Oh right, I forgot that anyone that Vancouver drafts has an instant comparable to top NHLers, but anyone the Oilers draft is a dud. Cam Barker was also Jay Bouwmeester. The only thing separating you from the Kool-aid drinkers here is that Vancouver is handing out your drinks.

i'm not following why Clarkson and his agent think he deserves 6 million in the least... who is reporting that?

there is nothing in his game worth even close to that... i could see a 3-3.5 kind of deal (which is still high for a single 30 goal season)... he might get 20 goals a year. he has the ability to finish but expecting 30 a season at this point is hilarious.

cheaper option: the Oilers trade for Steve Ott. he'd improve the FO% a ton, throw hits, play hard, be a rat, and still puts up solid points. throws way more hits than Clarkson, and put up the same points last year.

MacT made some bold statements that haven't come to pass (yet?), but I think what really ramped up the expectations of the grass roots was the reports of several Oiler trades that were going to be announced after the SCFs. Pure birdcage liner stuff, that.

He took the Klowe school of general management degree - so far he's passing with flying colours.

Can you remember the last time Ken Holland aired his desires/dirty laundry/negotiated through the media? Me neither.

Even though Tambo's pro scouting free agency moves blew I actually liked the way he conducted himself with the media/public. Just a shame he didn't actually do anything!

NO COMMENT

Tambo was a terrible GM two trade deadlines passed and he didnt pick any prospects up for his depth veterans. Instead he gave up picks to pick up the fringe veteran depth players that teams making a push in the playoffs load up on just in case they have injuries .

Normally a non playoff team should have been loaded up with picks and prospects, but he essentially handcuffed his predecessor and his scouts by giving them so little to work with.

I like the Nurse pick. I would have liked the Nichushkin pick. I would have enjoyed a Monahan pick. They're all great players in their leagues and one hopes that Nurse is the best of the bunch, we will see.

As for losing more so the Oil can pick a little higher. Barf. I LOVE seeing the 7-2 Oilers over Canucks all summer long. That makes me HAPPY. I love that they finished ahead of the Flames for once. It's more fun to be a fan this summer as a result. I will NEVER want my team to lose more than they have. The thought makes me sick.

At this point I am not going to believe a word that comes out of Gillis' head. When he said his plan all along was to trade Cory Schneider I was waiting for him to laugh like it was the punchline of a joke. Does he really think fans are that dumb?

We will look well at this draft depending on what MacT can accomplish outside of the draft this year. Plus, if even one of the late draft picks turns out as a solid 3rd liner, the media will certainly look back in approval. Call me crazy, but there is tons of potential for the Oilers to make some deals, and also in signings.

Just consider Boston alone. Just throwing this out there: Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky for Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly? In some ways, Seguin's game may be slightly behind Gagner's in development. Boston gets more maturity and a well-rounded 3rd-2nd liner who can score here. Hemsky could spark from a new environment and can help fill the void left by Jagr.

Oilers get better potential, size and better faceoff man in Seguin. Plus Chris Kelly is great at face-offs, 4th-3rd line centre that is more than a good replacement for Belanger. Plus, another centre would help take off pressure when trying to move Horcoff.

Oilers might have to throw something else in like a 3rd-4th round draft pick and/or eat some of Hemsky's salary to sweeten the deal.

Oddly enough, the Oilers could benefit by signing Horton and/or Jagr as well this off-season. Jagr would be a great 3rd-2nd line veteran presence.

Wait... You mean the Cat's GM Tallon drafted a Center after DSF has been telling everyone here for the past 3 months that they are UBER~DEEP at Center & they won't be drafting 1, or don't need 1 via trade, or even be gifted 1 by Santa on Canada Day as a special favor just to them..?

Offensively, he's very solid and there's massive room for growth in that department. He played on the second powerplay unit because the Hounds had two of the best (including the CHL d-man of the year) running the top unit, which got 75% of the time. When he's on the first unit next year, his stat line will jump.

Nurse was not asked to score , he was used as a shutdown Dman. Just wait until he puts on 20 to 30 lbs.

There is absolutely nothing in MacT's past as a player or a coach that gives any indication he is a "bold move" kind of guy. He comes across as intelligent and thoughtful, but bold has never been something in his bag of tricks. I believe he is going to live to regret those comments.

The bold move was to take Nichushkin. The guy looks like he might be a beast up front. I like Nurse too and I think in the long run he may well be the better pick, but there was nothing bold about it.

I have very little hope we'll see anything overly bold this fall. I'm very concerned with the amount of grit that has dropped out of this lineup, when we really couldn't afford to lose any.

People can critisize Lowe all they want, but if you want bold roster moves, he was the guy to get it done. .

The draft is never about which player can impact sooner. It's about which player will make a better impact. Nine teams thought there was a better player on the board than Nichushkin.

Never?

When two players are rated dead-even on a scouting list, and indications are Nichushkin and Nurse were on the Oiler list, and BPA is a wash, other factors -- position and immediacy of impact -- come into play.

Better impact? The Russian is more top-end IF he pans out. Nurse is a safe pick who will definitely play. The question is his ceiling.

i'm not following why Clarkson and his agent think he deserves 6 million in the least... who is reporting that?

there is nothing in his game worth even close to that... i could see a 3-3.5 kind of deal (which is still high for a single 30 goal season)... he might get 20 goals a year. he has the ability to finish but expecting 30 a season at this point is hilarious.

cheaper option: the Oilers trade for Steve Ott. he'd improve the FO% a ton, throw hits, play hard, be a rat, and still puts up solid points. throws way more hits than Clarkson, and put up the same points last year.

I agree, Clarkson is not worth $6 million, but Bickell is not worth $4 million and he got it.

I totally agree with you on Steve Ott, I have mentioned it several times , he would be a good pick exactly for the reasons you mention.

I dont think Buffalo will part with him though, 29 yrs, and salary under $3.00.million.

I don't really think he is in a position to play chicken anymore. Any leverage he had is now gone. He's got to shed some salary as well as sign a starting goalie unless they are going to pin their hopes on Mason. It's the Flyers though, so you never know.

Nurse will be the better player with just as high a ceiling as a defenceman could have. Or do we only read 2 or 3 scouting reports and the first couple lines. Come on now!! Read until the end..

Didn't we draft a big hulking Russian centerman that played with Yak? Everyone else was passing up on because of the what if...
And didn't we draft the other winger on that line too.. Aren't those pretty bold moves? Ummmm

I'd say the draft was a success, and only one day of the trade period sooo.. I don't know how people can really bash or say MacT has failed at delivering yet.. I'd say he's doing pretty damn good so far.

When two players are rated dead-even on a scouting list, and indications are Nichushkin and Nurse were on the Oiler list, and BPA is a wash, other factors -- position and immediacy of impact -- come into play.

Better impact? The Russian is more top-end IF he pans out. Nurse is a safe pick who will definitely play. The question is his ceiling.

But thanks for playing along.

Top end for Nurse if he pans out is number one defencemen. The only way to get those is by drafting them. The idea that Nichushkin is a lock to be instant impact is a guess. He hasn't proven much yet. He just looks like he has the tools.

Top end for Nurse if he pans out is number one defencemen. The only way to get those is by drafting them. The idea that Nichushkin is a lock to be instant impact is a guess. He hasn't proven much yet. He just looks like he has the tools.

Now, you're reaching.

I must have missed it, so please pass along a link or a scouting/media report that projects Nurse as a No. 1 defenseman.

Until a player actually plays in the NHL, the idea that anyone is a lock is a "guess." Many of those guesses are educated. Others, less so.

My initial thought was to grab Hartnell if possible, but then I looked and he's signed until he's 37 at a cap hit of $4.75M/yr. I don't know if his style of play will allow the final years to be anything but a disappointment.

How about their center depth. Giroux, Lecavalier, Schenn, Couturier. Giroux is a 1st line C, Lecavalier a 2nd line C, and then Schenn and Couturier would be 3A and 3B. Not much room for a promotion in the next 3-5 years either.

The fact Mac T actually answers questions in a forthright manner, gives him massive appeal over his predecessor FBI Tamby.

I'm going to give him all sorts of slack.........up until the time he makes a bonehead of a trade, that is. I too was rooting for Nichuskin and feel that all the bad press ( much like Yaks received) is more due to the " Russian Factor", and a language barrier that must be more difficult when you have a camera in your face.

I still do not understand the Peckham thing..........Robin you mentioned his state of physical shape, but all indications were he was ready at training camp. The whole body fat thing is so over-rated, I wonder how all the fat guys like big Bufg, Murray in SJ can play?